Mobile County schools superintendent gets high marks from school board

View full size(Press-Register file)Mobile County schools superintendent Roy Nichols will forgo a $9,500 bonus for good performance, and will take days off instead.

Though he's not been able to meet some goals because of budget cuts, the Mobile County school board on Tuesday gave Superintendent Roy Nichols an "A" for his performance this past year.

The board gave him a grade of 95 percent, the same score he had last year.

In accordance with his contract, that would mean he gets a $9,500 bonus. But as he did last year, Nichols said he would take days off instead, because the system is running low on money.

So he'll get about 12 days off. And, he said Tuesday, he plans to take another four days off unpaid as part of a voluntary furlough he's asking his top administrators to participate in.

Nichols, who makes $225,000 a year, said it would be "inappropriate" now to take a bonus, as some employees have been laid off or had their take-home pay reduced. He said he appreciated the positive evaluation.

"I get along well with this board. They get along well with me," Nichols said. "Since my tenure began, there's been respect for one another."

As part of its annual retreat, the school board on Tuesday performed the first part of its annual evaluation. The board plans to wrap up its retreat at the Grand Hotel Marriott Resort and Spa in Point Clear today.

The five board members judged Nichols on four goals set last year, as well as for his overall performance:

Restructuring the facilities department. Nichols submitted plans but did not implement them for monetary reasons. Score: 100 percent.

Providing more training for school leaders. Nichols submitted plans but did not implement them for monetary reasons. Score: 85 percent.

Refining the school safety plan. Nichols has written this proposal and said he will present it to the board during a meeting soon. Score: 85 percent.

Reducing the number of students who are failing. The board praised Nichols for several new programs designed to reduce the 45 percent dropout rate, including freshmen academies, evening school for students at risk of quitting and several Drop Back In Academies established throughout the county. Score: 100 percent.

Board members have been supportive of Nichols, saying he's made tough but good decisions during a financial crisis. Since Nichols took over in 2008, the state has cut the Mobile County Public School System's budget by $77 million. About 800 positions and numerous programs have been eliminated.

Most recently, Nichols and the board saved some bus routes and assistant principal jobs by cutting central office jobs, reducing coaching and other supplements and decreasing the number of days principals and other employees work, among other things.

"There are things that maybe you could've done better," said board President Bill Meredith, "but I don't know what those are."

Board member Levon Manzie said Nichols is a good and fair superintendent.

"I do not agree with him 100 percent of the time," Manzie said, though he added that "in difficult times, you certainly keep us going in the right direction."

This portion of the evaluation is used to determine whether Nichols gets a bonus. The board will conduct a state-required evaluation of Nichols today, which includes rating him on issues ranging from how he handles the budget to how he works with the board.

The board, which will resume its retreat at 9 a.m. today, will also evaluate how the board has performed as a whole, and set goals for itself and for the superintendent for the upcoming year.